What’s more exciting than preparing for a holiday? And not just any old holiday but a trip to one of the great cities of the world…

This week I’m packing my bags for a much anticipated trip to New York. When last I wandered among the bustle and bluster of Midtown, the Twin Towers still stood and the bravura of the city bordered on the unnerving. But mostly I remember being completely overwhelmed by the possibilities of Manhattan. Those weeks have become something of a blur of tourist traps and hawkers on 42nd St. This time around, older, better travelled and somewhat wiser, I intend to explore more and try to imagine life as a New Yorker for the week.

Diners, delis and doughnuts

Having already traipsed the tourist trail, I’m now free to enjoy all that New York has to offer away from the pressure of sight-seeing. For me, that means food and coffee. As a European, I plan to don the cliché and unashamedly seek out the American experience: diners, delis and doughnuts. Mind you, I will also be in need of some decent coffee and to that end have been looking up some recommendations. While the prospect of the counter-top refill is enticing, I’ll also want an occasional good quality cappuccino to fuel the neighbourhood ramblings.

Over to you….

So, if anyone has a “must eat here” tip (in the low-mid budget range) I’d love to hear from you! I’m thinking coffee shops, pizza places, BBQ joints, old-school diners or just good all round restaurants that deserve a try. Lastly, I also love exploring bookshops and have heard there are some great ones in Manhattan. Anyone venture an opinion on whether Strand is overrated or worth a look?

In the course of compiling these past few caffeine inspired posts I’ve had many coffees, some (most!) of which I forgot to photograph before it was too late. I’ve also lost at least one scarf, become too accustomed to buying good coffee to want to make my own, and managed not to darkened the door of a corporate multi-national.

Some people object to Instagram and other such photo filters. As you’ll have seen with my previous coffee photos, I used a filter because like the effect it creates. Yet I also understand the argument that we’re putting rose-tinted glasses on the present, not just the past, as if reality needs adulterating to make it more palatable.

So here, in all their bare, unInstagrammed glory, is a sample of the cups that were drunk without any particular musing to accompany them, beyond the usual everyday thoughts of ‘to-do’ lists and work, the unsung heroes that have been my caffeine highlight on any given day,…..

Wednesday. A day the sun forgot. Cold and grey with spluttering dank drizzle. A day when some bright spot was needed, and that bright spot was lunch. All morning I thought about the delicious panino and cappuccino that awaited one of my favourite Italian cafés. These are no ordinary panini, no unloved baguette filled with cheap cheese and synthetic meat. These are warm mouthfuls of crispy bread, olive oil, mozzarella and juicy tomato with just the right amount of saltiness from the cured ham. I could taste it before I crossed the threshold. I took a seat looking out the window, surrounded by suits and hipsters, and gave my order to the waitress without looking at a menu.

“I’m sorry. We have no panini; no bread left.” No! Dashed hopes and disappointment. “But I can make a sandwich with ordinary bread.” I sighed and agreed to second best, thoughts of warm loveliness receding. Then this arrived:

Faith restored, heart-shaped deliciousness in every bite.

I began to think about expectation and disappointment. Some people ruin an experience by weighing it down with expectation before the event, thinking through every detail, only setting themselves up for disappointment when those expectations aren’t met. I sometimes fall into this category and when I do, I often think how much better off I’d be if I simply allowed events to unfold and somehow managed to redirect my brain when it starts to build imaginary pictures of what might be. Ultimately, it is not disappointment itself but how we deal with it that is important.

He doesn’t always get it right but I like what Alain de Botton has to say on it:

One of the best protections against disappointment is to have a lot going on.